Many foldable and collapsible structures for providing shelter from the weather or elements are already commercially available. Most of these products provide a shelter with some sort of domed or pointed roof. Many of these structures are complex and cumbersome in construction.
A drawback to the commonly available portable structure is the massive size and weight of the main supporting structure, thereby making them heavy, cumbersome and generally difficult to transport, especially for a single individual. Many of the collapsible structures that are portable are not small enough to be practical for personal or small group use. Additionally, due to the weight and size, some canopies require multiple people for assembly.
A problem with conventional structures is the inability of the canopies to adapt or accommodate for different circumstances. For many of these structures, the main objective is covering from the elements like rain or wind, and as such, typically the structure has some sort of peak for providing runoff from rain or additional supports to provide stability from wind. The construction to accommodate these situations is reinforced so as to make them rigid and not easily adapted or angled to adjust for the movement of the sun in relation to the user. In order to remain protected from the sun, the user has to move under the structure or move the structure base for better placement of shade. The inability of these canopies to adapt can frustrate the end use of providing shade. In addition, the size and nature of these structures makes them less accessible for use at a beach or for small gatherings where users prefer to be relatively unencumbered by bulky or heavy materials.
Another problem with many conventional canopies is the inability or difficulty in raising and lowering one leg independently of the other legs while the canopy is deployed. This inability or difficulty renders the canopy particularly difficult not only to set up and to adjust by an individual acting alone, but also to adapt the canopy to ground that is not level.
Thus, it would be of great utility to have a portable canopy structure, one that is lightweight and sturdy, and can be erected and taken down by a single user, one that allows easy adjustment of individual canopy legs independently of the other legs, and one that would be capable of being adjusted so that the canopy can be made to adapt to the movement of the sun.